Fast track for gifted students

A NEW policy on the schooling of gifted students will be introduced in Victoria after an inquiry found the education system was failing the state's brightest children.

There are believed to be up to 85,000 gifted students in Victorian schools, although there are no universally agreed definitions of giftedness and talent.

The state government will announce the new policy on Tuesday in response to a parliamentary inquiry, which found that failure to provide appropriately for gifted students could have "severe and devastating consequences".

"A concerning number of gifted students dumb themselves down to fit in at school, while those who don't may experience social isolation or even bullying," the inquiry reported in June.

It also revealed widespread misconceptions about gifted students, including that they were the product of pushy parents, that they could succeed without help and that catering for them was "elitist".

Some schools were resistant to gifted students starting primary school early or skipping a year, even though this had proven to be effective.

Under the new policy, schools will be given guidelines for early entry to primary school and for when gifted students should be accelerated a year.

Every school will be encouraged to provide opportunities and curriculum for gifted and talented students.

The Education Department will consider why some gifted students are under-achieving at school. Research suggests between 10 per cent and 50 per cent of gifted students fail to perform at the levels of which they are capable.

Under-stimulated students may be bored and frustrated at school, leading to behavioural problems, and a significant number drop out without completing year 12.

There is no current Victorian or national policy on the education of gifted and talented students, even though there are an estimated 400,000 gifted students in schools across Australia.

The inquiry adopted Gagne's model of defining giftedness, widely accepted in Australia and internationally, which estimates up to 10 per cent of the population may be gifted. This equates to about 85,000 students in Victorian state and private schools.

A feature of the model, developed by world authority Francoys Gagne of the University of Quebec in Montreal, is that it recognises giftedness beyond the academic sphere, such as in sport, technology, social interaction and arts.

The inquiry found many schools made no, or minimal, provisions for gifted students, and those programs that did exist were mainly at secondary schools and in metropolitan Melbourne. Students in rural and regional areas often missed out, as did those from disadvantaged backgrounds whose families might be unaware of gifted education programs and schools.

"All students have a right to an education that meets their needs. However, the Victorian education system is currently failing many gifted students," the inquiry report said.

Victoria has four academically selective entry state schools - Melbourne High, The Mac.Robertson Girls' High, Nossal High and Suzanne Cory High - and three specialist schools - John Monash Science School, Maribyrnong College and Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School.

Thirty-six secondary schools offer the select entry accelerated learning (SEAL) program for high-achieving students. Students in the SEAL program complete years 7 to 10 in three years instead of the usual four. The inquiry found that while these schools and programs played a valuable role, demand greatly exceeded available places.

Fairfax Media understands the government supported or supported in principle all but two of the inquiry's 65 recommendations. A tool kit will be developed to help teachers and parents identify gifted children and priority will be given to identify gifted students in disadvantaged schools.

The government will also say it would be timely to conduct a review of the selection criteria for selective-entry schools and SEAL programs.